George Allen to Newsmax: Va. GOP 'Building Grass-Roots Insurgency'

Former Virginia Gov. George Allen tells Newsmax.TV that pundits are wrong in suggesting that Republican presidential candidates’ inactivity in the commonwealth has ceded the state to President Barack Obama.

Allen, who is running for U.S. Senate, said he’s doing his part to rally the base and reach undecided voters.

“We are building a grass-roots insurgency — county by county, city by city. And this will help out whomever the eventual nominee might be,” Allen said during an exclusive interview with Newsmax.TV.

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But Allen also cautioned: “The Obama campaign is already here. They’ve set up offices. They are calling people.”

One of the main reasons for the bleak punditry is the presidential candidates’ lack of campaigning in Virginia. Only former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Ron Paul qualified for the commonwealth’s Super Tuesday ballot. Romney has been able to hold on to a sizable lead, and the Texas congressman hasn’t done much to challenge him. Both focused on other states in the run-up to the primary today.

Allen also doesn’t think the absence of the GOP presidential hopefuls during the Virginia primary will hinder his chances of defeating former Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Jim Webb.

“It’s going to be a close race in Virginia. A lot of people look at this race as the 51st seat for Republicans, if conservatives are going to take over the Senate, we’ve got to win Virginia,” he said

Allen added that his “Blueprint for America’s Comeback” is consistent with all four of the GOP presidential candidates’ platforms and should convince undecided voters that conservatives have the best plans to address Virginians’ concerns.

“We are putting forth a positive agenda for the people of Virginia. It’s our ‘Blueprint for America’s Comeback,’ which is a pro-jobs growth agenda to reinvigorate the entrepreneurial spirit of our country.

“The people right here in Virginia care a lot about these high gasoline prices. They are very concerned and worried about if their children, when they graduate from college, will have the same opportunities for jobs and successes as previous generations.”

Allen also predicted that energy will be a key issue in November. He expressed his support for oil exploration off the Virginia Coast and the Keystone Pipeline, and he said he strongly opposes a “cap-and-trade energy scheme.”

“In Virginia, we’d like to be able to produce natural gas and oil off our coast. The Obama administration stands in the way . . . Tim Kaine and President Obama are against the Keystone Pipeline.

When asked about cap and trade, Allen said, “It will make coal virtually illegal, and it’s something Tim Kaine and the Obama administration are for and I think all of our nominees are opposed to it as well.”